Scarlet Fugitive
by Fluff Kitty
Summary: At 3am in the morning, the last thing Erza Scarlet wants is to be woken up. Though really, maybe the last thing she wants is to find a person bleeding out on her doorstep. Especially a person from an influential mafia family whom she has past connections to. Mafia AU. Rated T for violence, language, and future more-than-fluff romance.
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, or any of it's characters. All rights belong to Hiro Mashima._**

_Hello :) Here's a new story I wrote. If any of you are new to my writings, hi, I hope you enjoy it. If you aren't new, I hope this is up to my "standards" and that you enjoy it. *nervously scratches cheek* so I guess here goes..._

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"I'm coming, jeez. Stop knocking already, it's 3 in the goddamn morning." I growled, stomping down the stairs with a sweater haphazardly hanging off of one shoulder in an attempt to cover my pajama clad body.

The one downside to moving into a little condo of my own? I had a front door that was accessible to the whole freaking street, day or night.

With a final angry growl, I glanced through the peephole, grateful that my sleep-deprived mind was at least capable of some coherent thought. The person on the other side was staring at the ground, awkwardly shuffling their feet. I attempted to fight a snort of amusement, but eventually let it out.

God, I was tired. Sighing, I leaned against the frame, waiting for the person to lift their head so I could at least verify that I knew them. Annoyingly enough, they kept their head facing the ground as they continued to shuffle around. Feeling a vein tick in my head with my annoyance, I prepared to go back upstairs to bed.

Then they moved, carefully pressing their hand against their side only for it to come away soaked in blood. Sucking in a breath, I suddenly felt wide awake, wrenching open the door without a seconds thought.

"Get in here," I hissed. "Quickly!" The person kept their head down, stumbling over my doorstep as quickly as they could. As soon as they were in I closed the door with a definitive click, locking both the handle and the chain lock.

"Thank you," The person rasped, their voice slightly slurred with what I assumed to be either pain or exhaustion. Or both.

"Shut up." I snapped, suddenly annoyed at how this person would get themselves hurt like this. "You want to hurt yourself more?"

They let out a weak chuckle, finally raising their head so I could see them clearly.

"Oh my god," I breathed, feeling my chest constrict. "That tattoo…" My voice was shaky, and I took a moment to curse my weakness.

Instantly ducking his head once more, the newly revealed man began to move back towards my door. "I'm sorry, I should've showed you first." His hand was already on the lock by the time I realized he was going to go back out.

"NO!" I shouted, surprising myself as I darted between his body and the door. "Don't you dare leave. You're hurt." It didn't matter that the tattoo covering half of his face signified that he was in the mafia house that killed my parents and abused me when I was little. He was hurt, and badly if the strain on his features was any indication. If my parents taught me anything, it was that you never left a man behind. Or in this case, bleeding out on your doorstep.

His dark green eyes stared at me in stunned silence. "But, I…" Appearing to be at a loss for words, he merely nodded his head and dropped his hand from the lock. "Okay. Thank you." His voice was barely a whisper, and I watched as his shoulders slumped with relief. I hadn't even noticed him tense.

"Come on you, let's get you fixed up." I declared suddenly, steeling my resolve and tentatively pulling one of his arms over my shoulders. Though I had just stormed down them seconds ago without a second thought, the stairs suddenly looked much more daunting. Tightening my grip on his wrist, I half carried the weight of the man as we slowly made our way upstairs.

By the time we reached the top, the man was panting harshly. Despite his best attempts to stay quiet about his pain, I could hear the agony laced breaths as they puffed past his bloodstained lips.

"Look, I don't care who you are, but I do care that you're hurt. So let me know how injured you are and we'll work from there." I finally puffed, my chest heaving. He wasn't a large man, but he was so weak that he was basically dead weight at this point.

Seeming to realize he was crushing me, the man tried to stand up more and lessen my burden. This both angered me and made my heart soften slightly towards him. Why was he so adamant on hurting himself? But at the same time, his attempt at helping me made me not as worried about where he came from. Even coming from one of the worst gangs in the city of Magnolia, he still seemed to have a conscience. Or something of the sort.

"Oi, stop it. Jeez, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to kill yourself." I muttered as we stumbled through the doorway to my bedroom.

"What makes you think I'm not?" He wheezed, clutching his side tightly when I slid him off my shoulder and onto my rumpled sheets. The moonlight caught on his cheekbones, and I realized just how pale he'd gotten since he entered into my darkened foyer. Biting back a horrified gasp, I gently eased him back onto the pillows as I replied.

"If you wanted to die, you wouldn't have come to my house in the first place. You wouldn't have tried to find shelter. You wouldn't have been so relieved when I said you could stay. Don't try and pull that crap on me." The tone of my voice was completely different from the gentleness of my hands as I helped him ease off his long overcoat. Letting out a weak, halfhearted chuckle, the man began to slowly undo his blood-soaked shirt.

"A couple of my ribs may be broken. And obviously I was shot in the side. Some bruises, I think. Maybe a black eye." He breathed, his voice strained as he attempted to slide his shirt off his arms. _Stubborn. _I mused, leaning forwards and slowly easing his shirt over his shoulders and onto the floor. He let out a muted hiss as it pulled away from his bullet wound, and I quickly passed him a small towel.

"Keep pressure on it, I'll be right back." I ordered firmly, holding out my finger as a warning as I backed towards my door.

"Yes mother." He quipped, glancing at me with amusement and gratitude. Normally, I would've snapped back in annoyance, or at least glared. But with him, I just offered a ghost of a smile and slipped out of the room. Was it because I was afraid of what his gang had done in the past? Maybe I was worried I'd get in the crossfire between his gang and another, and I was hoping that by helping him I'd keep myself relatively safe? No. Shaking my head at my thoughts, I realized that what really got to me about him was his genuine emotions and strength. I liked his character, oddly enough.

By the time I returned to my room with a small armload of supplies, his top half was completely bare and he laid against my pillows with a pained frown tugging at his lips. Thankfully, despite the obvious pain he was experiencing, he still held the towel to his open wound.

"Hey, you. We're not done yet. Sit up." He cracked open his eyes at my voice, and I noticed traces of tears in the corners of his eyes. "Are you-"

"I'm fine." He cut me off almost immediately, sitting up without a complaint. Raising an eyebrow, I nodded slowly.

"Okay." Turning on my bedside lamp, I placed the supplies on the bed by his feet. When I glanced back at him I felt my stomach clench. How did he just sit up? The bullet had pierced his body a little left of his stomach, but it hadn't gone completely through. Which meant I now had to remove it. "Shit."

The man chuckled weakly, and I found myself wishing he'd stop making any noises. He must have a death wish of some sort.

"Do your worst." He told me, grabbing my frozen hand and pulling it towards his bloody torso. Upon contact with his feverish flesh I felt a shock go through my arm and he let out a weak groan, closing his eyes tightly. Easing him back slightly, I opened the bottle of hydrogen peroxide. Through clenched teeth, he uttered a curse as I slowly poured some hydrogen peroxide over the wound, keeping a towel pressed against his side to catch the runoff.

After a fair amount of silent curses and hydrogen peroxide, I placed the cap back on the bottle and put it on the floor behind me. Now came the difficult part.

"Do you want something to bite on?" I offered weakly as I sterilized the tweezers I was using for the extraction. It briefly occurred to me that I could just take him to the hospital, but then a wave of protectiveness surged up within me and I realized he'd most likely be sent to jail or sentenced to death because of his associations with the Six Brothers mafia. No way. It didn't matter that we'd just met. He didn't deserve that. I was almost certain of the fact.

"Yeah, sure." He gasped, eyes shut tight against the pain. Standing up quickly I hurried to my closet and pulled out one of my thickest leather belts. It'd have to do.

"Here. Bite down." I murmured softly, folding the belt in half and placing it between his teeth.

"Mhngh," He grunted, tendons on his neck standing out as he bit down on the belt fiercely. I gently laid my cool hand on the hot skin around the wound.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, slowly putting the tweezers into his wound until I heard a slight click. Carefully, I opened the tweezers to the right width. I could tell by the way the man's features tightened in pain. His skin was taut over his bones with the strain and I quickly tightened my grip on the bullet, easing it out slowly. An animalistic growl burst from his lips and one of his hands shot to my arm, holding it tightly.

Instantly freezing, I turned to look at him. My hand hovered right above his stomach, the bullet almost fully removed from his body. His eyes, bright with pain, stared at me intently.

"I have to remove it." I whispered, my voice tight. It was physically hurting him to remove this bullet, but emotionally hurting me. Slowly, he offered a minute nod and released his hold on my arm. With a smooth, quick tug I had the bullet out and he groaned, throwing his head back and releasing his hold on the belt.

"Shit," He panted as I grabbed the belt—ignoring the deep bite marks—and put it and the bloody bullet on my nightstand.

"Yeah." I agreed, gently easing him back into a sitting position. Smoothly, I wiped a thin layer of antibiotic cream around the edges of the wound. It was an angry red, but there were no signs of blood poisoning or infection. Thank god. In two minutes I had his torso wrapped in a thick gauze.

"I can't do anything for your ribs, but I have a friend. She'll help." I noticed his shoulders tense slightly at my words and quickly added, "And she won't tell anyone she saw you." This seemed to be all the reassurance he needed and he sagged into my pillows in exhaustion. "Now let me see your eye real quick." I murmured, sitting lightly on the bed beside him and gently placing my hands on his cheeks to turn his face towards the light.

"You're pretty," he breathed, twisting a lock of my hair between his long fingers as I inspected his eye. "Scarlet… I used to have a friend I called Scarlet. Had hair just like yours. Was really caring too, just like you, you know? She was a prisoner though, so I let her go. Never saw her again. Stupid of me, wasn't it?" His vivid green eyes fluttered shut and I froze, my fingers resting against his angular cheekbones.

"Jellal?" I whispered brokenly as he drifted into unconsciousness.

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_A/N: Should I continue it? What do you guys think? Also, I hope none of you actually have any experience with removing bullets, but did that sound about right? I did some research, but most things were about wounds in general *anxiously bites lip* _

_But there you go. Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think...?_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of it's characters. All rights belong to Hiro Mashima. _**

_A/N: So, I updated? *hides* I'm so sorry. But hey, summer vacation is upon us, right?_

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_How long do men usually sleep?_ I wondered while absently stirring some sliced strawberries into a ceramic bowl of pancake mix. Two of my oldest friends within the city of Magnolia, Natsu and Gray, usually slept in until ten in the morning. That is, if they _weren't_ woken up by the smell of food beforehand.

Glancing down at the bowl of pancake mix and then quickly at the clock I realized it was only six thirty. I let out a sigh, pouring part of the mix into a small sauce pan and watching it slowly expand. Had I been expecting it to be later? I hadn't exactly slept last night thanks to that man.

Groaning lowly I slipped my fingers into my slightly tangled scarlet hair. Why now? Of all times, why now? I had just been getting over all of that. And now he was back.

Scowling, I slowly pulled my hair into a messy bun on top of my head, holding it in place with an elastic from a kitchen drawer. I would probably regret that later. For now however, some coffee sounded great.

Flicking on the machine, I began to gather the necessary supplies. I dealt with pouring the grinds and water into the machine first, then grabbed my cup and spoon and placed them together to the right of the toaster sized machine. The timer informed me that I had ten minutes to wait and I flopped myself into a chair, watching the pancakes begin to golden.

"Good morning." A deep male voice greeted from the doorway and I snapped my attention to the man I'd personally identified as Jellal—though he had yet to confirm my conclusion. His blue hair was naturally messy, as I'd witnessed last night and supposedly throughout part of my childhood, but it had a particularly wild and bedraggled edge to it at the moment. Additionally he was also naked from the waist up, though I took care not to linger too long on his appearance.

"Good, uhm, good morning." I inclined my head slightly, turning my attention back to the pancakes. They were in dire need of flipping if I hoped to keep them a nice golden brown. "Why are you up and about?" The question slipped out without much thought on my part as I watched him gingerly lower himself into a seat at my island.

"Smelled food." He admitted, rubbing his neck in embarrassment. Against my better judgment, my lips quirked into a slight smile.

"Of course. Should have known." I chuckled airily, amused with the occasional simplicity of life.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm usually up early." He informed, seemingly determined to make sure I wasn't upset by his statement or possibly thinking he was lax in his duties. Really, I couldn't think of a reason why I should be, since it was currently quite early in the morning either way. If what he said was true, well, it left me to wonder how much sleep he usually got.

"It's not a problem, really. I mean, I _am_ making pancakes with strawberries." I smiled, sliding the small group of cooked pancakes onto a plate and placing it in front of my—albeit somewhat uninvited—houseguest. "Syrup? Coffee?" I offered, briefly pondering why I was being so nice. If I was being honest with myself, I _was_ terrified his family or a feuding one would attack mine for boarding him. And yet… I watched quietly as he politely accepted my offers and bowed his head, thanking me for breakfast. He was too kind to turn away. He needed someone right now, and whether I liked it or not, I was currently that someone.

"Thank you," he murmured as I placed a brimming mug of black coffee—apparently his preferred kind—before him. "The pancakes are really quite delicious." His smile was almost shy, but also bright and I smiled back gently.

Keeping the small smile on my face, I worked my way through my kitchen and cleaned up most of my small mess before serving myself. Silently, I sat across from him and took a sip of my lightly creamed coffee, pausing for a moment to add two sugar cubes.

"So what happened last night? Who, exactly, are you?" I asked quietly, steeling my nerves and looking straight into his olive green and gold flecked eyes. Almost imperceptibly, he stiffened and I found myself almost regretting asking. But then I reassured myself that I needed to know basic things about someone I was boarding. Especially if that information could potentially save one of our lives.

It was silent in my kitchen, save for the faint clicks of our metal utensils on the glass plates. Just as I thought I should change the topic for the moment and ask later, he began to speak.

"I probably shouldn't be telling anyone this, but since you helped me last night even when you knew it was a dangerous task to undertake, I suppose it's only fair. As you are most likely already aware, I am part of the Six Brothers mafia, though I'm more of a minor member. I make sure of proper… "cleanup" after a job. We've recently changed our ways for the better, though our other mafia connections don't particularly agree with our choice. So we're currently under attacks both day and night.

"I was leaving the other night when I got caught in the crossfire between a member of my group, the police, and… ah, a member from another group." His voice was halting, uncertain, as he spoke and I realized how deep into this he really was. It was one thing to be attacked by mafia families. It was another entirely for your alliances to turn against you since they usually knew at least one or two incriminating things about your family.

"Do you know who the other member was?" I asked softly, averting my gaze to my plate. Hearing rather than seeing him shift uncomfortably, he answered slowly and guardedly.

"I cannot say for certain. My apologies." On their own accord, my eyes narrowed and I glared at my mostly empty plate. While it was commendable to be faithful and not a snitch, this was our lives he was talking about. Yes, he was the one who had been attacked, but now he was residing with me, at least for the moment.

"Of course. I apologize for going into business that is not my own." I said curtly, standing and carrying my plate to the sink. His chair creaked lightly and I just barely heard the sounds of his approach. When he was a mere foot away he paused and I felt my blood run cold. Was he going to try something? Whirling abruptly I instantly pushed my hands in front of me. My hands collided hard with his muscular chest, and he recoiled slightly at the hit but didn't lose his balance or back away.

"Sorry, I'll wait till you sit again next time." He murmured apologetically, placing his plate above my own and returning to his seat. My chest was heaving with terror as I numbly turned back to the sink and rinsed the dishes quickly. Was I so quick to break my earlier judgment? Cursing myself silently I dried my hands and returned my attention to the man in hopes to assuage my error.

"I am also of status among a family so I am aware of how precious this information is. I assure you I will not break the bond of trust we have created with this past sharing of words. I also wish to apologize for my behaviour. It was uncalled for and could have caused you injury." Bowing my head slightly, I was not prepared to hear a soft chuckle. Snapping my head up at the noise, I glared at him through slightly lowered lashes. I shouldn't have bothered. He is no more my friend than my foe, so what matter is it to me that he not be upset?

"No apology necessary. I must admit I would have acted the same in such a situation. Well, similarly." He murmured, his gaze briefly touching my chest before flitting away in embarrassment. Gaping in shock, I watched as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. After a few moments of this he seemed to begin chafing under my burning stare. Looking away slowly, I found myself staring at the clock. It was already nearing eight and I let out a momentary gasp of surprise.

"Jellal, I called earlier this morning and have already set up a meeting with my friend to look at your injuries. We must be there in an hour or she will not let us in. She's a simple old woman, and hates wasting time." I told him quickly, hurrying to the stairs to go get changed. "Your shirt has been washed and mended, I placed it at the foot of the bed. Hurry now."

He had started at my gasp of surprise and was already at the foot of the stairs when he froze. I glanced back impatiently, briefly wondering if he wished to keep his wounds forever.

"You said my name." He blurted suddenly and I lifted a brow in confusion.

"No I di-oh. Right." I paused halfway up the stairs, turning to him with a smile I hoped would ease the obvious confusion and worry within him. "You told me last night before you fell asleep. You said you thought I should know it in case anything bad were to happen to you."

"Did I?" He questioned in confusion, his brows puckered in thought. I couldn't help but notice how he'd grown from a cute and kind young boy into a handsome and seemingly equally as kind young man. I'd never known his age, though now I estimated him to be in his mid-twenties. I was just twenty myself, so it surprised me. I'd always thought us to be the same age. "How long before I fell asleep last night?" I jerked back to reality as I realized he'd spoken, and tore my eyes away from where I'd been inspecting his obvious muscle mass. Though lean, he was very fit.

"After I removed the bullet." I answered immediately, hoping my confidence would shake him so he'd be more liable to believe me. A few tense seconds passed as he seemed to size me up, and then he grinned.

"Well, okay then. Let's go, shall we?" Within a mere moment he had passed me as he headed up the stairs, and I automatically turned to follow him. The quick and easy response had fallen from his tongue almost as though he'd rehearsed it. I couldn't detect the slightest trace of hesitation or worry in his tone and that frightened me. It meant he either knew I was lying and didn't want to call me on it before he was fully healed, or he truly believed me that easily. The latter was somehow the most terrifying, since it meant he was likely easily manipulated and therefore very liable to slip ups or getting into dangerous situations. He had fared well against me this morning, but I had also not pretended to know that which I had no inkling of.

Without realizing it, I had followed Jellal back into my bedroom and had to stop immediately lest I run into his bare back. I must have let out some noise of surprise because he glanced over his shoulder curiously, silently appraising me with his gold flecked green eyes. Blushing lightly at my distracted state, I offered a small bow of apology and ducked out of the room.

The hallway was cool and starting to get illuminated by the rising sun as I leaned against the wall with a sigh. It'd been too long since I'd had a male I was attracted to in my house. Let alone one that I'd known as long—or in this case longer—than Natsu and Gray. In hopes of calming myself down, I put one of my constantly chilly hands against my forehead. I don't know what it was in my genetics that made my hands cold all the time, but it sure came in handy whenever I got a headache.

Jellal stepped out of my bedroom a moment later, fully dressed and with a confused frown puckering his brow. I glanced at him curiously, glad that I had changed before heading down to make breakfast so I didn't have to change now with him right outside the door.

"What friend is this that we're going to see?" He questioned suddenly, breaking me away from my inspection of my toenails. I don't know why they'd suddenly interested me, but I noticed the sky blue paint was chipped on most nails.

"An old one. She's harmless, I told you. I cannot reveal her name to you though, that is an honour only she can bestow to one. I apologize, but we must hurry if you still wish for a registered physician to look at your wound without the authorities being notified." Immediately, I turned and hurried down the stairs, not bothering to check if he was following. His booted feet shuffled along the carpeted stairs a moment later, and by the time he reached me I had some strappy summer sandals on my feet and was ready to go.

"Lead the way then." Jellal motioned me forwards with his hands, and I quickly locked the doors before heading in the direction of our destination; an old townhouse hidden along the edge of a local park. It was a few blocks away, so we wouldn't have to walk for long. Interestingly enough, Jellal opted to walk slightly behind me off to the side, so I had to trust that he would follow me without question.

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By the time we made it to the front stoop of the house, Jellal had fallen behind slightly and had a hand clasped tightly over his injury. I doubled back, easily inserting myself between his arm and body and taking as much of his weight as I could comfortably support.

"I'm fine on my own." He murmured in what sounded to be embarrassment, even as he allowed me to help him along, leaning heavily on my shoulder.

"Of course you are." I murmured back, gripping his hand tightly in case he started to slip. Walking around and dressing himself this morning must have worn him out much more than I'd realized, so I made sure he was carefully balanced lest I lose my own. If we had to fall before we made it the last few metres to the door, I would make certain he wasn't the cushion.

"Right on time as always, Erza." A voice drawled, sounding rather bored in my opinion. I glanced up, beyond relieved that they hadn't used my last name. Porlyusica was leaning against the doorjamb, her red eyes glowering at me and my "passenger".

Jellal raised his head slowly, eyes locking with the elder for a moment, before abruptly dropping his head back down. In that moment, Porlyusica's glower had darkened, and I seriously considered taking Jellal and leaving. She may be an old friend and the only qualified yet unregistered doctor in the city of Magnolia capable of healing Jellal, but for some reason I found myself second guessing bringing the man here.

"Well, come in then. I don't have time to waste." She muttered, turning and walking into her house. I followed behind, knowing I had no other option but wishing I did. Jellal's feet dragged along the ground, seeming to highlight my fears, and I sucked in a steadying breath. As soon as we crossed over the barrier between Magnolia's streets and Porlyusica's territory, the atmosphere changed, the door slamming with a resounding bang behind us.

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_A/N: I will not specify an update date, since I can rarely be exact. But please know that I will update._

_ I'm sorry it has taken me so long, but I would like to thank my reviewers. You guys make me so happy, and I hope my update is sufficient enough, even though I know in my heart that it wasn't. _

_I also hope I didn't make anyone too OOC in this chapter. _

_Other than that, thank you for reading. xoxo_


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